V P Menon, a bureaucrat and close aide of Patel, had given this letter to Rajaji before the meeting.
“Rajaji in his typical style described the situation in Hyderabad. He felt that, to safeguard India's reputation, a decision should not be delayed any longer.
Nehru was concerned about international repercussions. Rajaji then played his trump card - the letter from the British High Commissioner. “Nehru read it. His face turned red... Anger choked his words.He shot out of his chair, slammed his fist on the table and cried out, ‘Let's not waste a moment. We'll teach them a lesson'.
“Rajaji immediately told Menon to inform the Commander in-Chief to proceed according to the plan,” Advani said, quoting from the book.
(With PTI inputs)
